


Won't You Save Me, Charles Neal?

by MythicalCatie



Series: Love Me Now [2]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Dark!Link, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 10:51:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16407053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MythicalCatie/pseuds/MythicalCatie
Summary: Rhett is overwhelmed with his parental responsibilities after Link goes to jail. He visits the facility in hopes of a reprieve.





	Won't You Save Me, Charles Neal?

**Author's Note:**

> Title because I was listening to "Save Me, San Francisco" when I wrote it and it fit.

Rhett was so tired that he felt like he very well could have crashed the car on the way to the jail. He hadn’t slept one moment in three days, and it was all Sailor’s fault.

Her constant crying, screaming, and pleading for her Daddy had worn the blond man as thin as was possible. For the past seventy-two hours, it had been a neverending nightmare for Rhett because his daughter just wouldn’t _shut the hell up._

It wasn’t her fault and he knew it. She had just missed Link because she was so attached to him, and suddenly, he was taken away from her. She wasn’t trying to make his life hell on purpose, but she was nevertheless, and that was part of the reason they were going to the jail in the first place.

Rhett imagined that Link could help him. He had always been good at calming Sailor down. He didn’t even have to do anything; all Rhett would have to do was hand her over and Sailor would immediately quiet.

The jail never seemed so far away. It seemed as if the closer he dove, the more distance separated him and his husband, especially because the longer they drove, the louder their daughter got.

Frankly, Rhett was surprised that she had as much energy in her to cry as she did. She had barely slept either, but yet, her lungs worked at full capacity practically nonstop.

The man was ready to take his ears off with a six-shooter gun by the time they arrived at the holding facility. Even though he knew it wouldn’t be much longer, he hated the fact that he would have to get _closer_ to the wailing by going to the backseat and getting her out of the car.

It was a struggle to keep hold of her in his arms as he walked, but Rhett was a master with squirming children by this point in his life. With two siblings that came before her as well as a brother around her age, Sailor was no match for Rhett’s expert arms.

Getting her inside might not have been so bad, but checking in and getting permission to see Link was a major challenge over the sound of all of her tears. He had to scream over her just to barely be heard.

“My name is Rhett McLaughlin! I’m here to see my husband Charles Neal!” he asserted, bouncing Sailor in his arms in a vain effort to try to get her to calm down.

Thankfully, the police officer behind the desk heard Rhett on his first attempt, and once he signed in, he was shown to a table.

He sat with Sailor waiting for what felt like an eternity before the police officer returned with his husband. Laying eyes on him, Rhett felt guilty. He couldn’t even be happy to see him because he was just so exhausted. All he could do was shove Sailor into his arms and collapse back onto the chair.

Just as he had predicted, Sailor cried for a minute more and then settled into Link, quieting down practically instantaneously as she cuddled into him.

Rhett sighed in relief when the screaming _finally_ stopped and he was able to speak. “She hasn’t slept, she’s barely eaten, and she won’t let me touch her without putting up a hell of a fight. She’s a trainwreck,” he explained, resting his head on his arms with use of the table. A loud, guttural yawn escaped him upon the action; he would pass out just about anywhere at this point. “She wants _you_.”

Along with sounding tired, Rhett sounded disappointed. All he wanted was for Sailor to like him enough so that he could properly be her father and take care of her, but she was so attached to Link that the minute he wasn’t in the room anymore, she freaked out

Rhett knew it was normal; all of their kids had had favorites. He himself was even the favorite parent of Violet, and now Andrew. He was probably crying at home right at this very moment.

It was a phase that they mostly grew out of with time. Of course, they still had their preferences, but a situation where the favorite parent was gone wasn’t nearly as dire when they were older. Sailor, on the other hand, was right in the middle of the worst part of the attachment.

“My poor baby,” came Link’s voice, and Rhett assumed that he meant Sailor, but with a hand rested on his back, he realized that that wasn’t the case. “You must be so tired, Rhett.”

Rhett could only provide a weak nod against his skin, but that was enough for Link.

“You go on ahead and go to sleep.” Noticing that Rhett had brought the baby bag, he assured, “I’ll get her fed and rested. You recharge, too, bo.”

Rhett didn’t even so much as ask if Link was sure before knocking out. He knew he wouldn’t have long to sleep, and he’d be damned if he didn’t take advantage of every single moment he had.

Once Rhett was asleep, Link began to talk to his daughter. “What’s the matter, Say? Why are you giving Papa such a tough time? Why are you being so mean to him?”

Sailor sniffled, and she looked up at Link, her wide blue eyes still filled with tears. “I miss yoooou,” she whined, her little bottom lip jutting out into a pout. “I want you come _home_ , Daddy. When are you gonna come home?”

Link sighed because honestly, he didn’t know when he was going to come home or if he ever would to begin with. But of course, he couldn’t say that to the little girl in his lap. He couldn’t break her heart by telling her never. So, he did the best he could and settled on, “I’m not sure, sweetpea, but I’ll try my best to come home soon.”

Sailor nodded, seemingly accepting that as an answer as she wrapped her arms around him as best she could and hugged him as tightly as a three year old her size was able to hug.

She sure _hoped_ that her Daddy would return sooner rather than later. She had missed him at the meal table and she had missed him playing with her and she had missed him reading her a goodnight story. It wasn’t Papa’s fault, but he did everything wrong. Even his pancakes were icky.

“Can you make my pancakes when you come home, Daddy?” she asked, her smile growing a little bit brighter now that she knew that her Daddy was going to do his best to come back to her.

“Maybe. We’ll see, my love.” He knew that this was his in to get her to eat. “Are you hungry now? Do you want something to eat?”

Sailor nodded vigorously, and her gesture was accompanied by her stomach growling loudly. “Papa brought snaaacks.”

Link nodded and stood up with Sailor settled on his hip, making his way over to where Rhett was sleeping to slide the baby bag off of his chair before returning to his seat.

Settling Sailor back on his lap, he dug through the bag for something he thought she’d like, but would be substantial enough for her needs.

Link set multiple things on the table, and Sailor ate them all, one after the other after the other. She was clearly starving, and Link was glad that he was able to help her get what she so desperately needed.

“This food is so good!” she commented, smiling up at her father.

He just grinned and found a wet wipe, taking care of all of the food residue left around her mouth. “I’ll bet, sweetheart. Eat it all up, okay?”

“Okay!” Sailor agreed, and within minutes, all of her food was gone.

Not long after she finished eating, a loud yawn escaped her tiny mouth and she stretched her arms out as wide as they would go, nearly wapping Link in the face. “I tired,” she informed them man whose lap she was sat upon. “I wanna go to sleep. Sing me song, Daddy?”

“Sure thing, angel,” Link agreed, gently kissing her on the forehead before moving her to a cradled position in her arms. Despite the fact that she continually denied it when Rhett or Link called her a baby (even so much as jokingly), she enjoyed being held like one.

Once Sailor was comfortable, Link cleared his throat and began to sing the song that he had found she liked the best. He wasn’t exactly sure _why_ it was her favorite, but he was happy to oblige and sing it anyway. According to his husband, she really needed the sleep. _“On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair. Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air…”_

Rocking Sailor in time with his words, he sang until he got to her favorite part: the chorus: _“There were voices down the corridor. I thought I heard them say, ‘Welcome to the Hotel California.’ Such a lovely place, such a lovely face. There’s plenty of room at the Hotel California. Any time of year, you can find it here…”_

Sailor’s eyes had started to droop, and that’s how Link knew the song was doing the job. Even when her eyes were fully closed, he continued to sing.

_“Mirrors on the ceiling, pink champagne on ice, and she said, ‘We are all just prisoners here, of our own device,” and in the Master’s chambers, they gathered for the feast. They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast.”_

He was pretty sure she had fallen asleep, now, but just to make sure, he decided to close it out. It was only fair to such a song and to such a girl, after all. _“_ _Last thing I remember, I was running for the door. I had to find the passage back to the place I was before. 'Relax' said the night man, 'We are programmed to receive. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...'”_

Truthfully, Link had to stop himself from doing the guitar solo with his mouth, and he was embarrassed that he had even thought of it at all. But doing that was mostly to make Sailor laugh, and she wouldn’t be able to appreciate it if she was unconscious. So, he simply forewent that part and finished up.

* * *

 

Link’s arms had long fallen asleep, but he stayed there and held Sailor for the entire time that he was allowed. He let Rhett sleep all the way through that time as well.

He loved holding his girl, but he knew that the time when he was going to have to pass her back to Rhett and return to his cell would eventually be upon him. He had to just keep reminding himself to enjoy it while it lasted.

Too soon, the police officer returned to the table to inform Link that his visiting time was over and to wrap it up.

He was gracious about it, only asking for time to wake his spouse up before leaving.

A soft kiss laid on the crown of Rhett’s head and quietly mumbled words didn’t rouse him, so Link had to figure out a way to shake him without jostling Sailor; he knew Rhett would want her asleep on the car ride home. Heaven only knew they both deserved it.

“Rhett,” Link called, his voice getting louder and his shakes getting rougher with each attempt. Luckily, it didn’t take **too** much and Rhett was standing up after a couple of minutes.

Link kissed him deeply before handing Sailor over, having missed the taste of his lips over the past three days. Rhett didn’t hesitate to kiss back.

“Do me a favor and take a few minutes in the parking lot before driving away, huh?” The last thing that Link needed was for Rhett to crash.

Rhett nodded sleepily and took their sleeping daughter and the baby bag in his arms, making sure to tell Link that he loved him before exiting the facility. He didn’t stay to watch Link be escorted back to his cell, because firstly, he was tired, and secondly, that would be too painful for him. He just hoped that the next time he came to visit Link, taking Sailor along wouldn’t be necessary. He needed a visit by his lonesome to figure things out with his spouse, because the only thing on his mind had been how Link could have murdered a dozen people in cold blood. That wasn’t his husband. He would prove it.


End file.
